


Home Is Wherever You Are

by smellslikesalvation



Category: Supernatural
Genre: F/M, Fluff, M/M, Mild Hurt/Comfort
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-08-28
Updated: 2013-09-02
Packaged: 2017-12-24 22:54:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 14,448
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/945644
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/smellslikesalvation/pseuds/smellslikesalvation
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Adam's out of the Cage. He's living in the bunker when they bring in an angel. He's instantly on guard. But this angel is different from the rest.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

Adam wrings his hands, palms sweating, and heart racing. Samandriel finally left the house for more than five minutes in almost a month. It probably had to do with a demon finding them in their little house, alive and not dead. The two of them had been trying to hide in plain sight. Bad plan. Luckily, Dean, Sam, and Castiel had all come over that day to check out their new house.

Adam leaves the dining room and dials.

"Hey, Cas. I, uh, need to talk to you."

An hour later, Adam's at Castiel's doorstep.

"Hello, Adam." Castiel stands aside to let Adam in.

Adam smiles shyly, and walks inside. The idea had popped into his head a while ago. But, thinking about it now, Adam remembers how they had gotten to where they are now.

* * *

Ever since Adam had gotten out of the Cage, Dean and Sam had been slowly making it up to him. A safe place to live while the two brothers continued hunting. The Men of Letters bunker became Adam's home for a little more than half a year.

During the second month of his stay, Dean, Sam, and Castiel dragged in an unconscious boy wearing a red and white striped uniform with a matching red hat. The brothers and the angel could only stay for five days, before they found another hunt. Adam just assumed the kid needed time to rest before leaving as well.

Adam agreed to watch the kid, and a day after they left, the boy woke up.

"Where am I?" He asked.

"A safe place," Adam replied.

"What is your name?" The kid sat up on the bed in one of the spare rooms.

"Adam." He held out his hand for the angel to shake. Adam glanced down at the angel's name tag, reading, "You're name's Alfie?"

The boy looked down, and laughed. "No. My name is Samandriel."

Adam withdrew his hand, too fast, and the angel's face fell. Adam stuttered his goodbye with an excuse to get out of the room, stood up, practically running to the kitchen. It was almost 6 o'clock. Time for dinner.

Something simple tonight. Adam grabbed a pan, ground beef, tomatoes, lettuce, mayonnaise, ketchup, and finally bread. About thirty minutes later, Adam was chewing on the first bite of his burger. Dean had taught him how to make a quality burger since Adam was going to stay.

He finished, cleaned his plates, and headed to his own room. On his way, Adam passed Samandriel's room. The angel had moved to a more comfortable sitting position, leaning on the wall the bed was against, legs crossed. He motioned with his hand for Adam to enter when Adam stopped moving in front of the doorway.

"Sit." Samandriel moved to the left to accommodate Adam. Truthfully, Adam was _still_ wary of Castiel, and even though both Dean and Sam trusted him, he just couldn't yet. Not after everything.

"Are you okay? Do you need anything?" Adam had yet to move from the doorway.

Samandriel smiled, and shook his head. He stood up from the bed, and Adam tensed. Samandriel seemed to ignore this, because he kept moving forward. Adam froze, unable to move under the strangely calm gaze of the short angel. He had expected a more intense gaze, almost like the ones Castiel gave.

But no.

Samandriel's eyes were bright and he wore a smile that stretched across his face. He seemed completely relaxed and _not threatening._ This was strange for Adam, mostly because almost every angel he had the misfortune of meeting had been cold and withdrawn.

The angel stopped a foot away from Adam. Adam wanted to move, walk away, possibly sprint, but his feet were nailed to the ground. He suspected Samandriel could be rooting him to the spot, but Adam could wiggle his fingers, so no angelic force was holding him against his will.

"If you could show me the entertainment room, I would greatly appreciate it," Samandriel asked, still smiling.

Adam nodded dumbly, and then began walking towards the television Dean installed a while ago. There was a long couch to lounge and watch TV on, even a plushy two-person love seat to the left of it. A dark brown wooden coffee table sat in the middle of the room, adorned with half empty beer bottles, and some random magazines.

Somehow, without his knowledge, Adam ended up in the loveseat with Samandriel squished next to him.

"Uh, I think I need to go, uh, shower," Adam said after watching movies with the angel pressed against his side for a few hours. He started to get up, when Samandriel's pointer finger wrapped itself around Adams'. Adam figured the angel didn't want to scare him.

"I could really use the company." Samandriel's voice was low and broken. Adam sighed and sat back down, the angel's finger still holding onto Adam. Adam didn't really mind.

Samandriel picked the next movie, but Adam really didn't pay it that much thought. All of his attention was suddenly drawn to the long, partially cold finger that was wound around his own finger, gentle enough not to lose circulation, but firm enough so it wouldn't slip away.

A smile wormed its way onto Adam's face. He bit his lip, hard enough to break skin, trying his hardest not to smile. Eventually, Adam started laughing.

Ridiculous as it may be, Adam was actually happy. Sure, seeing Dean and Sam after being in the Cage for so long made him see red for the first few days, even landed some well-placed punches on the both of them. But he just couldn't be angry anymore. He was out. He deserved some happiness.

And laughing for the first time in, well, centuries, felt amazing. Even the fact that there was an angel, specifically an angel that Adam didn't know, next to him couldn't stop the laughs that erupted out of him like a volcano.

Adam wiped the tears from his eyes, and Samandriel asked, "Why are you crying? Are you hurt?" Samandriel proceeded to start examining him for injury, hands hovering over Adam's body.

"No, not hurt, tears of happiness," Adam gasped out. Finally, the laughs diminished, leaving the human in all smiles. He even smiled at Samandriel, who was eyeing him cautiously. "Seriously, I'm fine."

Samandriel looked back to the movie, but kept stealing glances back at Adam, who studiously ignored every one of them.

* * *

"Adam. Adam, wake up!" Samandriel shook his shoulder, trying to get the light mass off of him. It was no use. Adam was lightly snoring.

Samandriel sighed, mimicking Adam from earlier. Carefully, he slid one arm around Adam's shoulders, and one underneath his knees. Adam didn't wake, just snorted softly. Samandriel laughed silently before carefully carrying the human back to his room.

He deposited Adam underneath the covers of the human's bed, brushing loose strands of hair from his face. Adam turned and rolled into Samandriel's hand. Samandriel smiled.

 _Maybe I'll stay a little longer,_ he thought to himself.

* * *

Sam called every day, and on the fourth day, he said that they needed to stay out longer than the usual week. Now, they were looking at close to two or possible even three weeks.

Adam nodded sleepily and rubbed his eyes, said goodbye, and went back to cooking dinner for himself. For the past couple days, the drill was the same each night. Adam cooked dinner, Samandriel picked a movie, they both squeeze together on the loveseat, then either Adam fell asleep and Samandriel carried Adam back to his room, or Adam would leave the room at precisely eleven.

It was comforting, to have a routine to stick by every night. Adam felt normal doing so, and in return, Samandriel seemed to be less angel-like, and more human as time went on.

So when three weeks passed, Dean, Sam, and Castiel made their way home. Dean immediately went to his room, Sam to his, and Castiel sat on the couch. The brothers and the angel had come home during Adam and Samandriel's movie time, and both Sam and Dean ignored the two of them.

Castiel, on the other hand, was eyeing them suspiciously from his corner of the couch. Adam shifted slightly, not loving the partial-glares he was getting from the older angel. Samandriel, though he didn't even glance at his brother, grabbed hold of Adam's finger with his own, as usual.

Adam calmed down, but only a little bit. Castiel remain fixed on Adam, and just as Adam was about to call it and go to bed, the younger angel spoke up.

"Brother, I would appreciate it if you could not stare at Adam. He feels uncomfortable," Samandriel said, again, not even bothering to look at Castiel.

From the corner of his eye, Adam saw Castiel look at him for a couple more seconds, then turn his attention to the movie they were watching, which so happened to be Tangled.

Adam breathed a silent sigh of release. Of course, he knew Samandriel could hear it. And Adam was grateful. The angel had proven to be a trustworthy companion while the Winchesters and Castiel went out on a hunt.

Finally, it was time for Adam to leave the room, and Samandriel stood up, allowing Adam to get up. Castiel watched the exchange curiously. Adam bid the angels goodnight, and left.

"What was that about?" Castiel asked.

Samandriel seemed startled, as if he forgot his brother was sitting on the couch diagonally from him. "What do you mean?"

"You stood up without Adam asking, yet you seemed to know exactly what to do. Like-"

"Like we have been doing this for the past three weeks while you have been away? Adam and I have developed a routine to follow at night. It's the same every day."

"Oh," was all Castiel had to say, before focusing back on the movie.

Samandriel left the room exactly thirty minutes later.

Sam was the only one in the kitchen. Which made sense considering it was only 7:53 in the morning. Both Castiel and Samandriel were watching cartoons on the TV.

Bored, Sam decided to make breakfast for Dean, Adam, and himself. It took around an hour to finish, but by then, he made pancakes, sausages, eggs, bacon, and hash browns.

Dean stumbled in around 8:45, only really waking up when he had a cup of coffee. Adam didn't enter until Dean and Sam were almost done with their plates.

Mumbling nonsense and a blanket wrapped around his shoulders, Adam grabbed his plate and filled it with food. Sam and Dean looked at him strangely. Adam was in zombie mode, and didn't talk.

"He'll be fine. He does this every morning," supplied Samandriel from his place on the love seat.

"Ah," Dean said, still keeping his eye on Adam.

Once his plate was basically licked clean, Adam put it and his utensils in the sink and waddled back into his room, before leaving to use the bathroom a minute later. The shower turned on, and Dean spoke.

"Are you sure he's okay? I mean, how long was he in the Cage with Michael and Lucifer? Shouldn't he be, I don't know, hallucinating, or something?"

Samandriel frowned. "Adam hasn't complained of anything these past few weeks. Maybe a minor headache or stomachache, but otherwise, nothing."

Sam looked shocked. "Nothing? Not even staring at walls or... I don't know, nightmares?" Dean and Sam walked into the living room to talk more quietly with the angels.

The younger angel shook his head. "Not that I've seen. And I can tell that nothing is really wrong with him. Castiel, tell them." He turned his head toward his brother.

Castiel sat there, focusing on the table in front of him. He visibly relaxed after a moment. "Samandriel is correct. Adam really is okay."

"But he was in there for so much longer than me. Does he just not remember, or what?" His tone was bordering on angry.

Castiel shook his head slowly. "When he comes out, I will be able to read him better."

"No." All heads turned toward Samandriel, the voice of the rejection. "I will not let you read him. He still does not trust you fully."

"What? So he trusts you?" Dean asked incredulously.

The corners of Samandriel's mouth turned up the tiniest bit. "Indeed."

"Cas is older than you, which means that he's in charge of you. That's how it works, right?" Dean questioned.

"While it is true that I am older _and_ of higher rank," Castiel grumbled, "Adam and Samandriel do seem to connect better with each other."

They all sat in silence for a minute or two, weighing the options given to them. The _very_ limited options.

Adam entered the room with only a towel around his waist, confused at the lack of conversation.

"Um, so yeah. Samandriel, did you move my brush?"

Samandriel looked up from his examination of the rings on the coffee table. "Sorry. It's on your dresser."

"I checked there, and inside it. And the bathroom. And my closet. I can't find it."

Samandriel stood up and walked past the half-naked human, and into Adam's room. He examined the room, before kneeling down and reaching under Adam's bed, procuring the brush with a smirk. "Found it."

The angel, however, didn't realize how close Adam moved. Samandriel stood up and spun around, almost falling over in top of him if not for Adam's hands on his arms holding him steady.

"Thanks," Samandriel said, and his face felt very hot.

"No problem. Thanks for finding my brush." Adam grabbed the brush and stepped back.

"No problem," Samandriel repeated, and hesitated a moment before leaving the room. The sound of Adam's laughter followed him into the living room.

* * *

"I just don't get something," Sam started. Samandriel expertly held his groan. The boys had been in the base for two days, and those two days had been blissfully silent on the Adam-front regarding his and Samandriel's friendship. At least, until now.

"Yes?"

Sam shifted in his seat to face the angel. "We've known him for longer. Two months, actually. You've only been with him for a few weeks. Plus, aren't you, like, leaving soon?"

Samandriel sighed softly. "I realized almost every angel he has had contact with ended badly. First with Zachariah, who told him he could see his mother again, then with Michael, an archangel that was supposed to protect humanity, and of course Lucifer. Every time, one after another, even with only three." The angel looked down at the table. "And I'm not sure when I'm leaving."

Sam took in that information, concluding that made sense. "But then why not trust Cas and trust you?" His eyes widened. "Not trying to be rude here, just curious."

Samandriel smiled. "No worries. To be completely honest, I just didn't try to appear threatening; I didn't sneak into his dreams or use my grace to influence any of his decisions. I was kind, a calming presence. That's it."

The hunter was about to say something else, when Adam came into the kitchen. He smiled at the two of them, and they smiled back.

"So, what's on the agenda for today?" Adam asked while pouring himself a cup of coffee.

"Well, what would you normally be doing now?" Sam asked.

Adam thought for a moment, glancing at the clock, and then the calendar. "Today's Friday, and it's two, so," He paused. "Training."

At Sam's confused look, Samandriel elaborated. "Basically, Adam and I spar for practice. He's still learning that I _don't_ bruise." Samandriel looked at Adam.

He sighed. "It's not every day that I can right hook a dude without a bruise forming. The only one who bruises is _me_ anyways." Adam downed the rest of his cup. "Let's go."

Sam stood up as well. "I guess I might as well come too," he said with a smile. "Still have yet to see everything this place has to offer."

They all entered the room, and Sam stood there, having not been in here once. The floor was a mat, and different machines lined the walls. Most of them were simple punching bags or even jump ropes.

Adam and Samandriel immediately took the center floor. Samandriel had on some equipment so Adam wouldn't break a hand or foot while training. The angel also had on a soft helmet.

Without warning, Adam lashed out, his moves precise and balanced. He faked a punch to the angel's face, only to hit him in the stomach. Samandriel then reached out with his hand and tried to grab Adam's arm. Adam twisted out of the way, swiping his foot out to get the angel to fall.

The angel continued the momentum upwards from Adam's swipe and Adam was forced to jump out of the way. Landing a good distance away, the two began circling each other.

Samandriel made the first move, swiftly moving forward and kicking Adam's midsection, which Adam managed to avoid by using his arm to block. Adam punched Samandriel's jaw, and the angel moved his head with it to lessen the blow.

The angel smiled, and the hunter smirked. Last moves played out in each of their minds.

Adam acted first this time. His forearm knocked into the angel's head, then kneed Samandriel in the chest. Samandriel grabbed Adam's arm and squeezed lightly. Adam struggled out of the grip, but Samandriel didn't let up. Samandriel was trying to teach the hunter to use his feet when his arms are trapped.

Adam maneuvered his foot around Samandriel's calf and pushed forward, pulling the leg backwards with the momentum. Samandriel landed on his back with Adam over him, holding his arm to the angel's throat. But Samandriel wouldn't give up that easy.

Samandriel pushed up with his feet flat on the floor, throwing Adam over his head to land on his back. Samandriel then flipped over and held down the hunter, the same as Adam had done to him.

"You're improving," Samandriel joked. He stood up and offered a hand to Adam, who took it smiling.

"No shit. I actually got in more than three hits this time." Adam was sweating profusely, but instead of leaving, he headed over to where the jump ropes were.

Sam, who watched the entire match from his post at the punching bag, was thoroughly impressed. In just a few weeks, Samandriel seemed to have trained Adam to almost full-fledged hunter status.

"Wow, Adam. You're really good," Sam commented.

Adam stopped jumping rope to respond. "Yeah, well. Still practicing. Samandriel is actually a really good partner." He put the rope back on the hook and grabbed a towel, wiping his face and neck. "I'm going to go take a shower."

"Wait." Sam walked over to the center. "Let's go."

Adam froze for a moment, and then found the strength to move his legs to the other side of the mat. Samandriel stood off to the side, ready to observe the skills Adam learned, and remember where Adam could use more help.

The angel smirked, and whistled to start the match.

* * *

"Dean, the kid is good!" Sam told his brother.

"So?"

They were sitting at the table, trying to find another hunt to pass the time.

"So," Sam continued, "I'm thinking he could come with us on the next hunt."

"No," Dean said, staring at a newspaper.

"Why not? He pinned me down once or twice, and he's been training with Samandriel, working out his flaws while fighting."

"Because," Dean said. "Dad didn't want him in this life in the first place. We can't bring him along now."

"So what, he's just going to stay inside the bunker until he dies?" Sam wanted Adam to learn how to defend himself against the supernatural.

"If need be. The answer is still no." Dean went back to his paper.

Sam glared at his brother, before focusing back on the computer in front of him. "Here. Four deaths. Two of them were young men who had been tried for raping and killing a young girl. They were both found innocent of both charges."

"Both men responsible were killed?" Sam nodded. "So the girl who was killed-"

"Harriet Rhodes."

"Harriet, kills her attackers, but keeps going after random people?"

"Guess so."

Dean sighed. "I'll go pack."

* * *

Two days after Dean, Sam, and Castiel left, Adam and Samandriel kept training. Samandriel had watched Adam and Sam spar that day and the two of them were now trying to smooth out his flaws.

One of them being Adam's size. Because of his small stature, he could easily be overtaken by someone much larger. So Samandriel tried to show Adam how to use his small size against his opponents.

Of course, it was much more difficult considering how small Samandriel was himself.

After that, the two of them were in the library, perusing the large collection of ancient books. Adam found nothing of real interest. He put the book he was holding back on the shelf, and then wandered over to where Samandriel was sitting cross-legged on the floor with a large book in his lap.

Adam sat with his back against the bookshelf, waiting for the angel to finish what he was reading. The language was unknown to Adam, but something about it seemed familiar. He shook off the feeling.

The angel finally lifted his head from the old book.

"What are you reading?" Adam asked.

"It's a book about angels." Samandriel glanced at the page currently open. "Right now, I'm reading about what we really look like. It's interesting, how close they came to describing our true form."

Adam nodded, remembering the last time he had seen an angel in its true form. He shuddered lightly. Samandriel noticed, concern written clearly on his face. Adam back-tracked. "What language is it written in?"

Indulging the obvious need to stay away from the subject, Samandriel responded, "Latin."

"I should really study or something to keep busy," Adam mumbled, crossing his legs and tapping absently at his feet.

Samandriel closed the book carefully, not wanting to bend the binding or rip any pages. "Can you teach me how to cook?"

Adam's head shot up. His incessantly jittery hands stopped moving as well. "Sure. Anything specific?" Adam stood up and offered a hand to the angel, who took it with a smile.

"I think I want to learn how to make pancakes."

Not wanting to think about why the hell an angel wants to know how to cook, Adam led Samandriel to the kitchen.

* * *

A little less than an hour and a bag of pancake mix later, the angel and possible-hunter-in-training were pretty much covered in the flour mix. The stuff was covering their hands and up their wrists, as well as ingrained in their clothes.

Somehow, Samandriel had accidentally knocked over the bag of mix and it dropped to the floor, a pillar of white smoke coating them and most of the kitchen.

"I think we should do this another time. Preferably when I'm not covered in this shit." Adam gestured to his body, looked at Samandriel, then left to take a shower.

Samandriel washed his hands, sadly reminded about his grace. The torture Crowley did add to the fact he should've gone to Heaven to recharge meant he had to wait twice as long. Even simply cleaning his clothes would mean needing to wait three days to use it again.

Then again, what else would he be needed for? The bunker was warded against almost every type of monster imaginable, except angels, that is, and the kitchen was fully stocked for weeks, probably months.

Samandriel closed his eyes, took a breath, and cleaned himself up. There was only a mild pain emanating from the base of his throat, more like an uncomfortable feeling than anything. He rubbed at his neck and took a seat on the couch, turning the TV on to a random channel, not really watching.

Adam entered the room, dressed in a tank top and basketball shorts. Samandriel was reminded of how much he needed to get new clothes. That was when a strange feeling replaced the discomfort.

Sneaking a glance at Adam, Samandriel was surprised to see him staring at him as he sat on the love-seat. Adam patted the space next to him, and Samandriel was thinking that cleaning his own clothes was a bad idea.

Although... Samandriel still got up and carefully sat down next to Adam. His hands were sweating and his throat felt like it was stuck together. Something was definitely affecting him negatively.

"Dude," Adam said, gesturing to Samandriel's vessel's outfit of a t-shirt and long red pants as if it was an explanation on its own. Samandriel shook his head slowly, trying to understand what the human was talking about.

Adam sighed. "It's like a hundred degrees in here. How are you not dying?" Knowing how the angel would take it literally, he held up his hand. "I mean, how are you not hot?

"Angels don't feel slight temperature changes," Samandriel said matter-of-factly.

"Slight?" Adam asked. "It was like fifty degrees yesterday, now it's in the mid-nineties. Hundreds in other cities nearby. That's not slight."

Samandriel stared at Adam. Then directed his gaze to the television. A cat was chasing a small brown mouse around a house. The mouse darted into a small hole in the wall while the cat's hand reached in and tried to-

"Well, it's official." Adam slapped his knees with his palms. "I'm bored." He stood up, walking back towards his room. Samandriel stayed in his seat, most certainly not watching the back of Adam as he walked away.

No less than two minutes later, Adam came back into the room with a thin, dark gray zip-up hoodie on. Samandriel glanced at him.

Adam grabbed the remote and turned off the TV. Samandriel glared at him, eliciting a laugh from the human. "C'mon," Adam said while slapping Samandriel's knee. "We're going out."

"Where?" Samandriel said while standing up.

With Samandriel at his heels, Adam walked into the kitchen, grabbing keys from a bowl on the table. He jingled them in front of Samandriel's face. "They got me a car just in case I needed anything. It's a small walk down the road, and then we can head to the town, catch a movie or something. Sound good?" Adam asked, looking over his shoulder as he continued walking to the front door.

Samandriel quickly weighed his options. The front door creaked open, sealing the deal. "Yes."

* * *

The drive was quick, thankfully. Only twenty minutes. Castiel was right about cars being slow. Adam parked it against the curb in front of a tattoo parlor.

"Not today," Adam warned jokingly. Samandriel smiled a little.

Looking up and down the sidewalk, Samandriel saw that both sides of the street had shops along them. Some were small, while others looked like they had once been two or three shops.

One of the first stops they made was to a clothing store. Adam found a rack for Samandriel and told him to find something he could wear.

None of the clothes looked appealing. Adam tried to get Samandriel to try on many different shirts and jeans, but Samandriel just shook his head.

Adam bought a hat and another pair of jeans. "Seriously," He started as he paid. "People are looking at you."

The cashier snorted, and Adam glared. He yanked the bag out of the man's hands and stomped out of the store. "But I don't care if people look at me," Samandriel said innocently.

Adam took him to another shop, this one much smaller and nothing that he would ever buy. Hopefully, Samandriel would find something he would like here.

As luck would have it, the angel actually found something. Adam found him after five minutes of no contact, staring at a royal blue, cashmere sweater with gold designs around the collar and cuffs. Samandriel was rubbing the material between his fingers.

"Do you want to try it on?" Adam's voice startled Samandriel, who nodded furiously.

Adam waited for him, searching the racks for anything that might catch his eye. Interestingly, the only thing that caught his attention was Samandriel wearing the cashmere sweater.

His once slate-blue eyes were alive with color and the gold brought them more into life. Samandriel was beaming, a grin so wide it stretched across his entire face. He looked down at himself, petting the material on his stomach.

Samandriel looked in the mirror attached to the wall. His smile didn't waver, even when he saw Adam still staring at him. Adam blushed and turned his head away.

"I love it," Samandriel said, but then his smile disappeared completely, turning into a downright frown.

Samandriel slumped his shoulders almost imperceptibly. Adam noticed, but the angel disappeared before he could say anything. Samandriel came back out with the sweater in his hands. Adam followed Samandriel to the rack where the sweater was originally found and watched as he put it back on the coat hanger.

"What are you doing?" Adam asked seriously.

"Putting the sweater back," Samandriel said sadly.

"Um, why?"

Samandriel turned to face Adam. "I have no money."

Adam wanted to slap the idiot. Instead of physical harm, Adam took the shirt, admittedly extremely soft, and, ignoring the confused expression Samandriel was giving him, bought the article of clothing.

As they walked out, Samandriel asked, "Why did you do that?"

Adam shrugged. "You need clothes other than that outfit," he said with a pointed look. "Next would be pants, but we can do that tomorrow."

It was getting dark out, and Adam had forgotten his cellphone at the bunker. Sam or Dean could've called and Adam would've missed it. They got into the car and began the short ride back.

As Adam was about to take a left turn, Samandriel suddenly gasped. "Demons."

Before the entire word was out of his mouth, Adam saw headlights flare in the rearview mirror. He tried driving forward, but he wasn't fast enough. The car lurched forward, and Adam smashed his head against the steering wheel, knocking him unconscious. Samandriel's seat belt was jammed.

"Adam!" Samandriel shouted.

Yells and shouts were heard outside. Someone must have called 911, because sirens were heard in the distance. Samandriel was close to sobbing. Adam's breathing was shallow, and he probably had a concussion due to the force of his head hitting the wheel. Blood dripped down a cut on his forehead and off his chin.

Someone screamed, "Look out!"

That was when lights filled Samandriel's vision, and the world went black.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Obviously this is an AU, sort of? But angels/Grace stuff deviates from canon in this part, and heavily in the next (and last) part. Just an FYI.

_The world shouldn't be this bright_ , Samandriel thought as he peeked through his lashes.

Suddenly, the lights dimmed. Samandriel was able to fully open his eyes after blinking a few times. Two figures were sitting in chairs around his bed, and one, in a familiar trench coat, was standing by the door.

"Adam, where's Adam?" Samandriel slurred. He wasn't sure if any of them understood what he asked. He wasn't even totally sure what he just said.

"He's still in surgery." Dean's voice was soft in the quiet room.

"Samandriel, do you remember what happened?" Sam asked.

Samandriel tried to sit up, but his arms felt like jelly. Castiel moved over to help with a hand on his arm. With the touch came immediate clarity.

"Thank you, brother." Castiel merely nodded and backed off to give the younger angel more room. He took his original position near the door.

"Well, Adam just wanted to get out for a bit, and when we were driving back, demons in a vehicle hit us from behind. Adam was knocked unconscious, then-" Samandriel paused. He recounted the entire scene in his head, but couldn't remember what happened after the first collision. "I'm sorry. I don't know what happened next. I think a vehicle may have hit us in the front."

Samandriel scratched his arm, where an IV was placed to keep him hydrated. There were also two in his forearms, one on each side. He stared at the needles and the tubes leading away from them. His breathing suddenly picked up, and his heart raced.

Samandriel was realizing how human he had become. That he needed painkillers and hydration to stay alive. That he couldn't remember anything after being rear-ended.

"Hey, kid, you need to calm down." A deep voice sounded through the fog of panic, but Samandriel was too scared to pay attention to who it belonged to.

There was a cool touch to his cheek. The fog lifted, his heart returned to its normal beat, and his breathing settled. Castiel was standing next to him. The brothers were also standing, clearly concerned for him. It was a strange yet pleasant feeling, of being cared about.

Castiel moved his hand away, again, but placed it on the machine that led to the painkiller tube. A protest just formed on his lips, but died away with the comforting blanket of unconsciousness.

* * *

Adam squinted in the bright light. He was pretty sure he was dead. And if so, his Heaven was now a garden with brightly colored flowers and towering hedges, complete with fountains and statues, instead of his prom like the first time.

He walked around, loving the smell of the exotic flowers he has never seen before. He figured he could easily get used to this.

One of the flowers was a dark blue. Dark blue. Sweater. Samandriel. Accident.

"So, you've figured it out." Adam spun around, seeing a man holding and admiring one of the blue flowers. He was wearing a white shirt and dark jeans. His beard was still in progress, and in the other hand, he held a glass of amber liquid that Adam highly suspected was alcohol.

"I'm dead?"

The man laughed, but grew more serious. "No, Adam. You are in a hospital. Comatose, and dying," he added sadly, and sipped his drink.

Adam swallowed. Then something occurred to him. "Who are you?"

This time, the man walked right up to Adam and put the hand holding the flower on his shoulder. "I am God."

Adam didn't know what to do. They didn't teach this at school. Though they really should. 'How to Speak to God: A Step by Step Guide to Keeping Your Cool in Front of The Almighty.'

He smiled. "Adam, don't be afraid." He backed away. "I am the one, after all, who got you out of the Cage."

God or not, Adam snapped. "What the hell took you so long?" Immediately, Adam looked shocked and the anger drained away instantly. He started sputtering apologies, but He stopped him with a hand and a serious expression.

"I do apologize. Sincerely I do. I just needed to sort out Heaven once more. My angels haven't been taking care of it like I wanted. They don't even realize I'm here. And it will stay that way," God warned.

"I- I understand." Adam looked again at the flower He was holding. "What kind of flower is that?"

God looked at the flower, almost startled at seeing it in His hand. "My, my. It's a blue orchid. Why? Do you recognize it?" He said with a certain something glinting in His eyes.

Adam swallowed. "I think so. Can this be crushed and used in dyes?"

He smiled again. "Samandriel found my present, I see? And, might I add, the one _you_ bought for him." Adam was shocked silent. "Adam, Samandriel was meant to find that sweater. I wanted him to see how nice and compassionate humans are. You were my test."

"Test for what?"

"For the both of you. For you to realize that not all angels are bad or will someday turn around and back out of a promise. For Samandriel to see more of the human potential." He began to walk away.

"Wait!" He stopped. "What now?"

God raised His glass. "You don't tell anyone who I am or what I look like. I'm letting you keep the memory of this conversation for when we meet again. For now, though, it's time to wake up."

Adam was choking. There was a tube down his throat and needles pricking his skin. He tried to take the tube out of him, but nurses rushed in to assist in taking it out. He breathed in deeply.

"Adam?" Two voices rang clear in his head. Sam and Dean.

"Son of a bitch." Dean strode over and plopped himself in a chair next to Adam's bed. "You're okay."

"Better than okay." Adam tried to sit up, finally noticing that one of his arms was in a cast. "Can we get a nurse to take this off? My arm itches." Adam tried pulling it off, only stopped by Sam and his giant hands.

"Adam, you were just in a major car accident. Take it easy."

His head shot up. "Samandriel, where is he? Is he okay?"

Dean and Sam chuckled.

"He's perfectly fine. Few bruised ribs, dislocated shoulder, sprained wrist. Remember, he _is_ technically still an angel." Dean sat back, his feet on Adam's bed. Sam pushed them off.

"What about me?" Adam glanced down. Besides his arm, his legs felt funny. He took an experimental deep breath, wincing when the skin pulled against the sore ribs.

"Concussion, bruised ribs, one broken rib, broken arm, and..." Sam trailed off.

"And, what?" Adam was nervous. He went to touch his legs, eyes widening when he could barely feel the touch. God wouldn't leave him a paraplegic, would He?

"Your spine was injured. Nothing too serious, but there is some numbness in your legs. It will take... a while to get the feeling fully back."

Adam knew something was up. "How long?"

Sam wouldn't look him in the eye. Dean rolled his eyes. "Doc said around six months. Maybe more."

He sighed. "Goddammit." Then he chuckled. Dean looked at him like he was crazy. Adam didn't care. Samandriel was okay. He was okay. God friggin' spoke with him.

Adam smiled. Everything was going to get better.

* * *

Everything was not better. Being in a wheelchair sucked major ass. Adam always had to ask for someone's help, and oddly enough, Sam and Dean kept telling him he was fine. That he can deal with it. It was getting goddamn annoying, to be honest.

He was short enough next to Sam and Dean as is, even though he could hold his own, but now even Samandriel was taller than him. Now _that_ irked him.

He couldn't reach the top shelf in the kitchen. He couldn't drive anywhere. He couldn't go to certain parts of the bunker. He couldn't take a damn shower without the assistance of a chair.

Adam had been in the wheelchair for almost three months now. During that time, he had Samandriel to help him the majority of the time, because there were still monsters to fight. Dean and Sam stayed for a few weeks, and then they had to deal with a possible demon outbreak in South Carolina.

Adam watched the television until his eyes went red from strain. Then he tried to wheel himself into the library. There was always one step that he couldn't get over. The one leading into the library. Adam could get himself over every other step in the entire place, except this tiny obstacle.

"Samandriel!" Adam shouted, trying with all his might to conquer the wooden floor bump.

When Samandriel didn't respond, Adam tried shouting again. When that didn't work, Adam gave up on going to the library and trying to find the angel.

Adam didn't have to look hard. Samandriel was sprawled out on his bed, snoring like a trucker. Adam smiled to himself and carefully made his way into the room. He pulled the blanket up and over Samandriel, reminded just how much he was injured in the accident.

He kept his promise to God. Not even Samandriel knew. Then again, it was easy to avoid a subject that never came up in conversation. Ever.

Adam was about to wheel his way out of the room when Samandriel shifted, and slowly opened his eyes. A slow smile fought its way on the angel's face, and was granted with one in return.

"You yelled for me. I was sleeping. What's wrong?" Samandriel asked, not moving from his relaxed position on the bed.

Adam smiled, confused, but chuckled. "You heard me, and did _nothing_? What if I had been in trouble?" He fake-pouted.

Samandriel laughed, moving to sit on the edge of the bed, legs dangling over the side. His swinging feet periodically hit Adam's legs, but Adam felt nothing. Getting the feeling back was taking too long for Adam's tastes.

"I knew you weren't in trouble. You sounded too whiny for that," Samandriel shot back. Adam opened his mouth in protest when Samandriel stood and walked behind his chair, pushing him into the library, easily maneuvering up and over the step Adam was having trouble with in the first place.

"Thank you," Adam said grumpily. He got himself over to a shelf with the angel lore. He loved reading the similarities and inaccuracies with the book and Samandriel. He sometimes would use Castiel as a model, but most of the time, the older angel wasn't in eyesight or was out with Dean and Sam.

So he was stuck with studying Samandriel and his angel habits. He wasn't a run-of-the-mill angel at all. He cleaned with a broom and duster. He washed his own clothes and more often than not, Adam's as well. He brushed his teeth and washed his face. Once a week, usually Sundays, Samandriel took a shower. He was still an angel, and his vessel was normally cleaned with the aid of Samandriel's grace.

Adam was fascinated with the angel. Samandriel seemed to know more human customs than Castiel did, and the other had been on Earth much longer than Samandriel. Not that Adam was complaining. It meant the angel could do things for himself without being told to do so.

The time before the accident, Samandriel had been progressively becoming human. The fact that he still had a small amount of grace in him was what saved him. Adam was the only one who knew how and why Samandriel got some of his grace back while everyone else was baffled by it.

Adam stared at Samandriel for far longer than he should have. The book in his lap lost his interest just a quarter of the way through. Studying the angel was far more fun. Eventually, Samandriel looked up and smiled. Adam weakly smiled back and ducked his head behind his book.

It didn't last long. The book was back on the shelf and Adam was over by Samandriel before any real thought process went into it.

Samandriel took one look at Adam before coming to a conclusion. "You stink. Take a shower." And then he was back to reading.

Adam smirked briefly. "Can't. It's that one damn step. Plus my arms are tired from wheeling myself around all day." He stuck his lower lip out a bit to sell it and lowered his head.

Without looking up to see, he heard Samandriel sigh, stand up, walk around to the other side of the wheelchair, and felt him start pushing.

"Thanks, doll-face," Adam praised. He didn't see the massive blush cover Samandriel's face, yet he knew it was there. Adam had been practicing different pet names for the angel. Samandriel was getting to be too much, and Alfie just didn't seem right.

"It's no trouble," Samandriel muttered.

Once they reached the bathroom, Adam threw up his hands, and held them in the air. Samandriel stood behind him, completely confused about what to do.

"My arms are tired." Adam flailed his hands quickly for emphasis. " _Baby,_ help me."

Samandriel moved in front of him, rolling his eyes. "We aren't in a relationship. I don't see the point of you giving me pet names." He leaned forward, bunched the hem of Adam's shirt in his hands, and pulled it off in one smooth motion, throwing it in the laundry basket across the room.

Adam was shocked. "Lucky shot, hot-stuff. Now get out," he said while wheeling himself over to the shower, grabbing the chair he used with one hand, and still wheeled with the other. He placed the chair inside the shower. When he turned around again, Samandriel was gone and the door was closed.

He undressed completely and carefully pulled himself up and out of the wheelchair. He plopped down in the chair and let the hot water wash over him. Blinking some of the drops out of his eyes, Adam thought up a plan for the rest of the day.

* * *

Plan in his mind, Adam got himself into the kitchen. A towel was wrapped around his neck, catching the droplets from his still wet hair. Samandriel had offered to cut it a few weeks back, but Adam refused. He liked his hair long.

He opened the fridge door, groaning audibly when he saw it was practically bare. Adam could always go into the reserves, but that food was dried stuff Adam wouldn't want to even think about. He would have to go to the store today. Which meant Samandriel had to drive.

Adam grabbed the car keys and left the kitchen to find the angel. Samandriel was lounging on the couch, arm behind his head and legs across the entire couch, the remote in his free hand. He threw the car keys at Samandriel's stomach.

"Shopping time," was all Adam said before leaving the room and confused angel behind.

"What do you need?" Samandriel asked as he pulled on his blue and gold sweater.

"Food. And lots of it." Adam allowed Samandriel to wheel him to the car, but got himself into the passenger side seat. Samandriel folded the chair and put it in the backseat.

Thirty minutes later, Samandriel eased the small car into a handicapped space near the entrance to the equally small supermarket. He grabbed the wheelchair for Adam, who eased himself into the chair. Samandriel closed the car door, and they were off, with Samandriel manning the cart and Adam managing the list of food.

Samandriel grabbed everything that Adam asked for, except for the white chocolate chunk brownies that Samandriel refused for all its worth. Adam whined and bitched, until Samandriel started walking down the aisle, leaving the cripple behind. Adam grabbed the box, and snuck it into the carriage when the angel wasn't looking.

When Adam turned back around to lead once again, he missed the small, genuine smile Samandriel aimed at the back of his head.

By the time they were done, the cart was overflowing with food, drinks, protein bars, and far too few deserts, much to Adam's dismay. ("Hunters need to stay in shape. Especially ones in training." "I'm stuck here. Not much happening for a couple more months, hon." And when Samandriel blushed, Adam smiled.)

"Hey, I have a question." Adam was putting food in the fridge while Samandriel got the high shelves.

"What's up?" Samandriel asked while reaching high to put away something. Something that Adam didn't care about because the action drew his sweater high on his small frame. Samandriel's hip and part of his stomach were exposed, and Adam was totally _not_ mesmerized for a moment.

Samandriel didn't notice his dilemma. Adam cleared his throat before continuing. "I was just wondering why you bought that sweater."

The angel looked at him strangely. "It's been months since I've bought it. Why ask now?"

Adam shrugged. "It's only been three months. Shut up and answer the question."

Samandriel sighed, putting down the loaf of bread he was holding. "Well, when I was walking around the store, nothing really popped out at me. And then," He looked down at the sweater being discussed, "I don't know, I saw this, it caught my eye, and that was that. I had to have it." Samandriel looked back at Adam. "Does that answer your question?"

Adam nodded and smiled. A surge of something Adam suspected was pure adoration for the tiny (well, _will_ be tiny when he gets out of this goddamn wheelchair) angel. "Sure did, sugar."

Samandriel could bitch all he wanted, Adam knew he secretly (not secretly) loved the nicknames.

* * *

_Samandriel, wake up and come here. Now,_ Adam prayed.

"Adam?" Samandriel's voice came from nowhere, and Adam jumped a little.

"Get me outta here," Adam pleaded. With no further questions, the two of them were on a warm beach with the sun bearing down on them. "Where are we?"

Samandriel shrugged. "Away."

Samandriel smiled and pushed Adam towards the beach. The water was warm against Samandriel's feet, and Adam longed to swim. As if Samandriel read his thoughts, the angel pick Adam up, and then Adam was only in swim shorts, same as Samandriel. With ease, the angel brought Adam into the water.

He pushed away from Samandriel, the weightlessness felt amazing, and Adam ducked underwater. He could see small minnows and even larger, more colorful fish that he couldn't possibly name.

Adam swam back up to the surface, loving the feel of the warm water and the even warmer sun on his face. Samandriel was nowhere to be seen, so Adam guessed he was underwater. Holding his breath, he checked.

Adam swam around for a bit, head above water to keep an eye out for Samandriel, who was still in hiding. All of a sudden, Adam was yanked under. He couldn't feel the grip of a hand on his ankle, but he suddenly saw the slate eyes of the angel in his face.

Samandriel kept his hands on Adam's biceps, keeping him from floating away. Adam saw him lift a finger and then the water disappeared and he found that he could breathe.

"What-"

"It's an air bubble."

Adam moved his head experimentally. The feeling of water sloshed against his neck, but didn't rise any higher than that. And the water was indeed in a bubble around their heads. Adam moved his hand to touch the borders and gasped when his finger hit the water. Samandriel chuckled.

Adam pulled back slightly, to test whether or not the bubble would expand or his head would hit the water. The boundaries moved with his head. Locking eyes with Samandriel, he moved closer. Samandriel didn't move, but Adam felt his breathing pick up pace when their chests touched.

"This is amazing, babe."

Samandriel rolled his eyes and sighed, and his breath tickled Adam's nose. "We are not-"

He was cut off by Adam's mouth pressing against his. Samandriel was unsure on what to do, so he closed his eyes and mimicked what Adam was doing, tilting his head, moving his lips. Whatever he did must have worked because Adam moved his arms to circle the angel's waist. Samandriel wrapped his arms around Adam's neck, some random impulse taking over.

They reached the surface, pausing the kiss when cold air hit their faces. Exchanging a look, Samandriel took them away and they were back in the bunker, sitting on the couch, with a warm blanket over the two of them. Sam, Dean, and Castiel wouldn't be back until tomorrow afternoon.

As usual, the TV was on, but neither angel nor human was paying attention. They were too wrapped up with each other.

* * *

Castiel noticed it first, from the moment he stepped through the door. Sam realized soon after, about a day or two after Castiel did, and Dean almost a week later.

Castiel saw the way Samandriel leaned toward Adam when the two of them sat on the couch, which Adam was sitting on thanks to Samandriel. How Samandriel would always offer to help Adam, even with the most menial tasks that Adam could accomplish even in a wheelchair.

Plus he saw them kissing in the library.

Sam knew something was different about his half-brother and the young angel. He couldn't put his finger on it, but because he spent day after day with Dean and Castiel, he figured out what he was seeing pretty quickly. Just more out in the open.

And he saw them making out on the couch.

Dean apparently refused to see anything wrong. Even after Sam commented on how different the two of them were. Dean wrote it off with the fact that both of them are still relatively new to Earth. Well, Adam was simply readjusting.

What sealed the deal with him was not that he saw them kiss. When he was walking past one of the many rooms, he saw Samandriel sitting next to Adam's bed. Dean watched as the angel gently pushed some of the wild hair away from Adam's face, and for some reason, that brought a random huge smile to the hunter's face.

Then the next morning, Dean saw them kiss briefly in the kitchen.

They didn't seem to care.

* * *

Adam pushed on his kneecaps. He gasped when he could sense the feeling. He moved his fingers down, trying to get a sense of where the feeling cut off. Which happened to be just below the knee.

"Dude, what are you doing?" Dean asked as he set coffee down for Adam on the table.

"I'm getting the feeling back. I can actually feel my knees." Adam smiled widely. Dean chuckled. He pulled out a newspaper, opening immediately to the cartoons section.

Adam drank his coffee in peace, that is until Castiel entered the room with Samandriel following behind, head bowed where his chin almost touched his chest.

Dean put down the newspaper, looking at the two angels with concern. "What's going on Cas?"

"It seems that Samandriel has been at full power for a while now," Castiel stated.

Dean glanced at Adam, who shrugged in response. Adam asked, "So what?"

Castiel sighed, before glaring at his younger brother. "He is supposed to report back to heaven."

"When?" Adam didn't want the angel to leave just yet.

"Well, he should've gone back the moment he woke up, but I understood that he needed time to recover. However, it's now much overdue."

Now Adam was glaring at Samandriel, who wouldn't look up. Dean motioned to Castiel.

"Cas, with me. Now." Dean stormed off, and Castiel left after glancing at the two of them.

Adam didn't speak. Not for a while. Just sat there, angry and sad and confused and a bunch of other emotions he couldn't even process at the moment.

He figured one of them needed to speak at some point. Just as he was about to go off and say that Samandriel should leave and go back to heaven because Adam wasn't worth all the trouble, he heard a choked sob come from Samandriel.

He wheeled forward, and tugged on the angel's hand. "Hey, babe, what's wrong? Hmm? Why're you crying?"

If Adam hadn't been in a wheelchair, he would've toppled over with the sudden weight that was placed on him. Samandriel sat on his lap, both legs swung over one arm rest, and wrapped his arms tightly around Adam's neck, all while sobbing quietly into the side of Adam's neck.

Adam rubbed his hand up and down Samandriel's back. He whispered in the angel's ear, trying to calm him down enough to talk.

Samandriel stopped after a few minutes. His eyes and cheeks were red and his face was wet. Adam smiled, even if he wanted to scream, and wiped the tears with his sleeve.

"You okay to talk?"

Samandriel merely nodded, keeping his hands on Adam's arms. He didn't get off Adam's lap.

"Tell me what's happening."

The angel sighed, clearly unhappy with what he had to say. "I was supposed to go back to heaven the moment I woke up. When I didn't, my grace needed a lot more time to recharge. What used to be instant took half a week. Now, it takes two weeks to recharge. If I went back to heaven now, it would be excruciating."

"And what would happen if you stayed here?"

"It would be just as equally painful. I would be separating myself from my grace, which is a lot to have to deal with."

Adam thought about it. That was when his dilatory mind decided to catch up. "You would be human."

Samandriel nodded. "None of my powers would remain. I would be just as vulnerable to everything you are." His shoulders sagged.

"Listen to me," Adam started. "As much as I want you to stay, please, _please_ , do not base your choice solely on me. You need to want to stay on Earth, for _you_. You are going to be here until you die. You are going to have to do human things, like take a shower every day and eating food and brushing your teeth and exercising and... stuff like that. Do you understand?"

Samandriel was quiet. Adam desperately wanted the angel to understand.

"I understand fully." Samandriel stood up. Adam nodded sadly and tried to get away from the invisible hands gripping his lungs, squeezing the air out of them.

Adam was turning around when Samandriel grabbed the handles and spun him back to face him. Samandriel was grinning.

"I understand fully," he repeated. The pause between was infinite. If Samandriel said what Adam thought he was going to say, legs or not, Adam was going to jump on him.

* * *

"Listen, I know you're acting all 'big brother' on him, but you have to let him decide for himself. If he wants to stay, you let him. If he wants to go, let-"

Dean was in the middle of a monologue, talking to Castiel about letting Samandriel decide for himself instead of forcing Samandriel to do what Castiel wants because Castiel thinks it is the 'best' for him, when he was cut off by a loud thump.

They burst through the kitchen door to find Adam sprawled on top of Samandriel, kissing him. Dean froze, and Castiel tilted his head.

"I- we- uh, should- should go... now," Dean sputtered out. A laugh sounded from the bodies on the floor.

"Just in case you were wondering," Adam sat up. He pointed between the angel and himself. "We're getting a place of our own. No point in staying if we can't do anything. Plus, we're by ourselves all the time anyways."

Dean caught up with the present, and thought about it. Adam would be out of danger, and the angel clearly wanted to stay. It was a perfect arrangement. He turned toward Castiel, who wore a straight face, but was looking at the floor by his feet.

"I think it's a good idea. Cas?"

The angel frowned briefly, before looking at the human and angel on the ground, hands intertwined together. Dean glanced as well, and his own fingers unconsciously moved toward Castiel's hand.

He stopped, and listened to what Castiel had to say. "Samandriel, you'll be without your powers. Defenseless."

"Cas. Sam told me Adam and Samandriel can handle themselves," Dean said sharply.

Castiel nodded. "I want them to show me. Then I'll decide."

By the end of the day, Adam and Samandriel also convinced Castiel that they could also start looking at houses together.


	3. Chapter 3

The process for Samandriel to become human took place over the next month while they were choosing their new living space. First came the fever. When Adam kissed Samandriel's forehead, his skin felt like fire on his lips.

Sweat stuck his clothes to his skin, and his face was almost always red. His breathing was labored and ragged. Sometimes, it looked as if he wasn't breathing at all. The fever lasted almost a week before it finally broke.

By that time, Adam had picked out some choices, ranging from apartments to condos to houses. A few were to buy and many were to rent. Adam wasn't picky, but he wasn't sure if Samandriel was.

Adam brought Samandriel to the first place; an inexpensive, two-bedroom apartment overlooking the city. It was a few miles from the bunker, and the neighborhood was calm. The inside, however, was void of almost all appliances, the owners deciding to take all of their stuff with them.

But it just didn't feel right.

It happened with the next few places, as well. They went home disappointed and hungry. Adam cooked for everyone because it was one of those rare days where everyone was here at the same time.

Dean, Sam, Cas, and Samandriel all sat at the table while Adam brought out the plates. They would've each gotten up and done it themselves, but Adam had insisted they take a break.

As they ate, the brothers asked how the house hunting was going.

"Slow," Adam replied.

"I thought the last place was nice," Samandriel piped up.

"That's because you think everything's nice." Adam sighed.

"What was wrong with it?" Sam asked.

"It had a very weak structure. The ceiling had huge water stains, and there would be people living above us. We would've been crushed in our sleep." Samandriel's small noise of anger could be heard easily in the quiet room. Adam frowned as the lights flickered. He placed a hand over Samandriel's. "Babe, I was kidding. Calm down."

Adam had a feeling he knew what was coming next. Still, when Samandriel stood up, ripping his hand from under Adam's and his chair falling backwards loudly, and slammed his hands on the table, Adam still jumped. "Well I'm sorry, Adam. Next time you make jokes about me and my almost nonexistent grace, I will just ignore it. Like every other time. Like it doesn't-" Samandriel audibly snapped his mouth shut, and stormed out of the room.

Dean and Sam had their mouths open, but didn't look at Adam. Castiel was looking at the place where Samandriel just left. Adam sat there, unsure what to do.

He wheeled himself out of the room, not saying a word to anyone at the table, and followed Samandriel to his room. Samandriel was sitting on the bed, head in his hands.

Adam wanted to say something, anything, but nothing came out. He got out of the chair, and sat down next to Samandriel, not trying to touch him or talk yet.

But when Samandriel took in a ragged breath, Adam knew he had to do something. He gently placed his arm around the back of the angel's neck, and rested his forehead on Samandriel's left shoulder.

He still didn't say anything. Either of them. They sat in silence for a while before Adam cleared his throat.

"You know," he mumbled into Samandriel's shoulder, "there's a house for rent. Half an hour away, tiny thing it is, quiet neighborhood." Adam didn't look up yet. "Wanna check it out? Maybe the others can come too."

Under Adam's mouth, Samandriel's shoulders lifted, then fell again. A sigh. Samandriel turned to Adam, who didn't move his arm from Samandriel's shoulders, but pulled his head back.

Samandriel smiled a barely there smile. "Their input would be very helpful."

Adam grinned, and Samandriel helped him back into his wheelchair. "Let's go. They'd probably give anything to leave this place without the threat of monsters."

They walked, wheeled in Adam's case, out to the dining room, laughing all the way there. All eyes turned to them. Dean kept glancing between their hands, interlocked over Adam's shoulder, and Castiel.

Adam glanced back at Samandriel, who squeezed his hand. "Get your coats," Adam said to the group. "We've got a house to rent."

* * *

Zipping his duffel bag, Adam placed his hands on his knees. He looked around his room he's had for almost a year now, and grinned. He was finally leaving.

The process for actually getting the house was difficult. The owner wasn't a fan of Adam and Samandriel, and kept saying that there were more houses and apartments closer to the city. But Adam was persistent.

Before he was killed the first time (he never thought he would ever string those words together in his head), Adam's mother had set up an account for him for college. It had collected a decent amount of money over the years, and he was ready to put it to good use.

No one else was stepping up to rent it, so it was smooth(er) sailing from then on. The owner gave them a tight smile, and shook both their hands, congratulating them.

Overall, it had been three months since Adam and Samandriel first took Dean, Sam, and Castiel to visit the place. Castiel liked the overall appearance, inside and out, while Sam and Dean knocked on the wood and checked for things Adam didn't care about.

By now, he got most of the feeling back in his legs, he had to use crutches, but it was better than a wheelchair. Oddly, the feeling between his knee and ankle was still slightly numb, but at least he could move his feet.

Samandriel got worse over the three months, but Adam was with him every step of the way. When Samandriel dropped a glass plate, sending shards all across the floor, Adam didn't scold or yell at him. He held Samandriel's shaking hands, rubbing the falling angel's back and whispering nonsense in his ear.

Castiel tried to ease Samandriel's pain as much he could, but even a full angel couldn't stop the pain of falling. Or at least getting cut off from Heaven.

The worst thing about Samandriel becoming human was his wings. Adam's hands had been shaking so bad, he could barely dial Dean and Sam's number to ask for help. Castiel was already there, holding Samandriel's hand, trying to lessen the pain.

The day started with mild back pains. Samandriel waved it off as nothing, and Adam gave him some painkillers. As the day wore on, Adam could see beats of sweat on Samandriel's forehead and the strain in his neck, the veins popping out.

Castiel flew in around dusk, right when Samandriel began screaming. Castiel had to cover Samandriel's mouth with his hand to muffle the yells, and when Samandriel began thrashing around, Adam called his brothers.

They took the normal thirty minute drive and made it there in ten. They bolted inside to find Adam crying silently on the couch, and muffled screams farther away. Dean glanced at Sam, who strode over to Adam, arm around his back.

Dean found the source of the commotion. Castiel had Samandriel tied down, hand over the kid's mouth.

"He's losing his wings," Castiel said without diverting his gaze from his brother. "It's a very painful process."

Dean couldn't really form words yet, the kid on the bed stealing his attention. Samandriel's face was red, shiny, and Dean could see the blue veins under his skin. The bonds around his wrists and ankles were strained from being pulled on constantly, and Dean wondered how the fabric didn't tear.

He took a step into the room. "Anything I can do?" Dean asked weakly.

Castiel didn't answer, and Dean was close to walking over and taking Castiel's job so he didn't have to see his brother in pain. "Ice. Samandriel's skin needs to be cooled down."

Dean nodded, not realizing Castiel couldn't see, and set off in search of a washcloth and ice.

Sam tried his best to comfort Adam. It wasn't working out very well. Sam didn't know what to say, couldn't think at all with the muffled screams from the other room, plus his younger half-brother crying right next to him.

Adam didn't move into Sam's arms, didn't really acknowledge the hunter next to him at all, just continued to sob on the couch, staring at the ground.

All of a sudden, Adam froze. Sam pulled his arm back, and touched Adam's arm. "Adam? You-? Are you-?" Both sentences were stupid to say out loud, so Sam just repeated, "Adam?"

He gasped, making Sam jump, and stood up. "Need to help. Can't sit here." Adam bolted from the room. Sam followed, and Adam was in the kitchen glaring at Dean, his breaths ragged and heaving.

"Give it to me, now," and not even Sam would argue with that tone.

Dean widened his eyes, then handed the ice over. Adam snatched it, and ran to Samandriel and Castiel. Dean looked at Sam.

Sam shrugged one shoulder. "I don't know."

Dean shook his head. "What should we do?"

Sam sighed. "Not much we can do. Cas is helping the best he can, and Adam's scared out of his mind. I mean, watching someone you really care about go through that much pain..."

Dean thought about Sam dying, Sam thought about Dean dying. They both chuckled, but another yell snapped them out of it. Dean motioned with his head, and they both went to the spare room in the house.

Samandriel was now on his stomach, his face pressed into a pillow, and shirtless. Adam sat in a chair next to the bed, pressing cubes of ice onto the falling angel's back, whispering small things that only Samandriel and Castiel could hear.

Castiel looked at the brothers as they stood in the doorway. He said something to Adam, who nodded, and continued cooling Samandriel down. Castiel walked to Sam and Dean.

Both brothers could see the distress and sadness on the angel's face. "I'm trying to stop as much pain as possible, but most of it cannot be prevented. Cutting off one's Grace was supposed to hurt."

They all looked at Samandriel and Adam. Samandriel was looking up at Adam with so much gratitude and adoration, Dean could feel it from all the way across the room.

"What about Adam?" Sam asked.

Castiel sighed, a very human gesture for an angel. Dean worried for a moment Castiel might follow the same path as Samandriel. "He's feeling just as much pain, just not of the physical sort."

"Why would he do this?" Sam wondered aloud.

Castiel smiled sadly. "Because he loves Adam. He loves him enough to go through this much pain for him." As he said "for him", Castiel glanced at Dean, who was biting his lip.

"How long is it going to last?" Dean asked.

"Probably for the rest of the night and into tomorrow. No longer than that." Castiel glanced back again.

"What about the whole thing?" Dean's been watching Samandriel suffer for five months now. When would it end?

Castiel frowned. "From past experiences," Dean shivered slightly, "the wings are the second to last to go. The whole process was meant to be drawn out, force the falling angels to feel their mistakes, and not be allowed back into Heaven."

Dean waited, but nothing more was coming. "So what's the last step?"

Castiel ducked his head. "We should all be here tomorrow," he said cryptically.

Even though Castiel told them they could go, Dean and Sam insisted they stay. Dean let Sam have the couch, since Dean would probably be up for a while anyway.

Right before Dean walked away from Sam, Sam said, "Dean."

"Sam, I'm not reading you a story," Dean joked.

"Shut up." Sam swallowed, then looked behind Dean, and pointed. "Look."

Propped against the wall were Adam's crutches.

* * *

Adam didn't leave Samandriel's side all night. He continually pressed ice to his back, and he didn't question when the bucket seemed to have an endless amount.

Castiel was on the opposite side of the bed, holding Samandriel's other hand while Adam held the other. If Samandriel was in pain, he would only squeeze the hand Castiel was holding. Adam grimaced every time Samandriel shut his eyes, which meant another burst of pain.

"It's okay, baby. It's alright. I'm right here. Right here. Not going anywhere. I'm here. Don't worry. I'm here," Adam kept murmuring into Samandriel's ear.

Samandriel couldn't reply. Too busy grinding his teeth together to keep from screaming. Adam watched the ice melt in between his fingers, making a small puddle on Samandriel's back.

By the time day broke through the curtains, Samandriel was in a considerably less amount of pain. He face would only contort once every ten minutes, and it would smooth over soon after. Adam used less ice so Samandriel wouldn't get too cold.

It was ten in the morning when Samandriel stopped moving, stopped breathing all together. Adam panicked, shaking him and tears began pouring down his face again.

Castiel tried to talk to him. "Adam, Adam. It's okay. This is good."

"How is this good? He's dead!" Adam shouted. Dean and Sam raced through the door a second later.

"He's... What?" Sam asked.

Castiel sighed. "He's not dead. This is part of the process. The reason I needed your help today." Castiel turned to Adam. "He's going to lose his Grace now."

Adam nodded, but it went over his head at the sight of his boyfriend lying on the bed, looking very much dead. He was too pale and quiet.

"Adam?" Dean asked from behind him. "You with us?"

"Why do Sam and Dean need to help?" Adam clenched his hands into fists.

Castiel untied Samandriel, and rolled him over onto his back. "You would think our Grace is stored in the center of our chest, or maybe our stomach. Both are incorrect." Castiel moved Samandriel's hands and feet. "In fact, our Grace is stored in the hollow of our throats, right where the neck and chest meet."

Adam subconsciously reached up to touch the spot Castiel was talking about on his own neck.

"What does this have to do with anything?" Adam said.

Castiel had moved Samandriel's hands so they were bent slightly at the elbow, and to the side. Samandriel's legs were splayed outward in a comfortable manner.

"I can hold down one arm and one leg, Dean and Sam have to hold the others. Adam, you are going to do the most important part."

Adam was next to the bed in a heartbeat. "What? Anything."

Castiel gave a tired smile. "You have to hold his head up. His Grace is going to slide out by itself. It wants to return to Heaven, but Samandriel does not. It will travel up his throat, and out his mouth."

"Seems easy enough," Adam muttered, going to grab Samandriel's head.

Castiel grabbed Adam's wrists. "An angel who decides to remove its Grace does so for many reasons." He released Adam's wrists. "For Samandriel, one of them is you."

Adam stared at the angel. "So?"

"You have to urge the Grace to leave. You have to tell it to return to Heaven." Castiel smiled reassuringly. "You can do this, Adam."

Adam shifted on his feet, staring at Samandriel's neck. "Okay, what do I have to do?"

"Get on the bed." Adam kneeled next to Samandriel's right hip. "Now, you have to sit on him." Adam glanced up at Castiel, who was staring him down. He rolled his eyes, but complied, now kneeling above Samandriel's hips.

Adam reached down to touch the base of Samandriel's throat. Nothing felt out of the ordinary, and then his entire body felt like it was buzzing.

"Adam!" Castiel exclaimed. Adam yanked his hand back, staring at his fingers. "Not yet. Sam, Dean, get into position." Castiel grabbed his left arm and left leg.

Dean grabbed Samandriel's right arm, Sam grabbing the right leg. They nodded to the angel, and at Adam, who was looking at all of them.

"Okay, Adam. You have to sit down. More contact helps the process. It lets Samandriel know you're there."

Adam didn't want to in fear of hurting him, but he lowered himself onto Samandriel's hips. "Now?"

Castiel glanced one last time at the brothers, then nodded. "Now."

Adam placed both hands on Samandriel's throat, and leaned down. The buzzing started back up again, and amplified tenfold. Adam started to think his cells were separating and he was lost in space, spread out over the entire universe.

He didn't feel Samandriel's body begin to fight under the restraint.

The once smooth skin of Samandriel's throat now came alive under Adam's hands. Adam wanted to move his hands, but he might let go too long, and he wanted Samandriel back as soon as possible.

He felt his nose graze the side of Samandriel's throat. The skin pulsed. Tentatively, he pressed his lips to the skin. He felt lighter.

Adam remembered what Castiel said, so he leaned back, and lifted Samandriel's head with him, one of his hands going to cup the back of his head while the other remained on his throat.

Samandriel's mouth was tipped open in the process, and light began pouring out of the opening. Adam pressed his forehead against the side of Samandriel's, and began remembering.

Lazy days at the bunker. Watching TV, movies, making fun of reality TV. Sparring in the gym. Samandriel reading a book, his eyes darting back and forth across the page while simultaneously moving down. Samandriel teaching Adam different languages. Sitting on the love seat. The accident. The blush that would rise when Adam called Samandriel pet names. Their first kiss. Their first fight. Samandriel yelling at Adam. Samandriel being endlessly patient while Adam re-learned how to walk.

All these things made the room brighter, hotter. Adam kept his eyes closed in fear of losing them, and Adam planned on seeing this new Samandriel with his own eyes.

"Samandriel. I love you."

The room burst in white light. Adam kept the side of his face pressed against Samandriel's, and whispered the phrase over and over in his ear.

Adam didn't open his eyes, not even when he saw black behind his lids. He didn't dare move above Samandriel, still holding his neck, front and back, faces pressed together.

"Adam." Castiel gently laid a hand on Adam's shoulder.

"Adam," he heard breathed into his ear, and felt the air expand and contract underneath his body. Adam pulled back, and grinned.

"Hey, baby," he whispered.

Samandriel looked tired. Like he hadn't slept in years. "Hey."

Adam chuckled, and nuzzled his nose against Samandriel's neck. He felt feather light arms run up and down his back.

"Welcome home."

* * *

Dean, Sam, and Castiel left Adam and Samandriel soon after. Neither of them noticed. Adam kissed a trail from the side of Samandriel's neck, up the side of his face, across his forehead, down the other side, across a cheek, and finally stopping on his lips.

They didn't do much other than kiss for a while. Samandriel was getting used to feeling everything. He traced Adam's face, his arms, hands, his back, chest, legs.

Legs. "Adam. You can feel this?" Samandriel ran his hand over Adam's entire leg. Adam's mouth slowly spread into a grin as he felt the trail of Samandriel's hand.

"Yeah." He leaned forward and laughs. "Yeah, I can."

Clothes, water, food, the couch. Everything felt different.

Adam didn't let go of Samandriel's hand once, and let Samandriel drag them back to bed after feeling every single inch of the house. Both of them felt tired (Samandriel from losing his Grace, and Adam from helping), and were probably going to sleep for the next 72-hours, minimum.

Samandriel lay on Adam's chest, feeling the steady heartbeat under his ear soothing and comforting.

He traced patters on Adam's shirt. "Everything is new."

Adam hummed. "But better?"

Samandriel leaned up to kiss Adam again, and grinned. "Much better."

Adam was half a second from falling asleep, when Samandriel whispered, "I love you, too," in his ear. He was too far gone to do anything, but whatever time they woke up again, Samandriel was going to hear those words without being essentially dead.

* * *

As it turned out, it was a good thing Dean and Sam had been present for the de-Gracing of Samandriel.

Of course, Dean had to be reminded by Adam what he needed to do too many times. Adam took him aside in the privacy of an empty room.

"Dean." Adam grabbed Dean's wrists, holding them still. "Dean, listen to me."

"What if I can't do it? What if I can't convince it to leave? What happens then? This is bull," Dean said, then started chewing his bottom lip.

Adam smiled. "Hey, I'm a bunch of years younger than you, and I did it. You can most definitely do it too."

Dean nodded, but didn't look convinced.

"Do you want to know what I did with Samandriel?" Adam asked. Dean looked hesitant, but nodded. "I thought about all we'd been through together, good times and bad. Well, at that point, nothing really bad happened. But you get the point." Adam smiled. "Show him how much he means to you. How he's changed you. How you feel about him."

Adam smiled reassuringly, then Dean steeled his expression. Adam followed him into the bedroom, Castiel laying lifeless in the center, Sam and Laura on one side, and Samandriel on the other.

Adam stood next to Samandriel, glanced at Sam and his girlfriend, who worried they might not be able to hold down Castiel, but they'd be damned if they didn't try.

Dean sat atop Castiel, one hand cupping Castiel's jaw, the other at the base of the angel's throat, and leaned close.

Thrashing limbs, a bruise or two, and one blindingly white room later, Castiel was awake, and running one hand through Dean's hair, the other on Dean's bicep. Their foreheads were pressed together, and they clasped their hands.

Sam, Adam, and Samandriel left quickly. Adam and Samandriel walked hand in hand to one car, Sam and Laura to the other. They all waved at each other, then Adam drove to their house.

"Wonder when their wedding's gonna be," Samandriel quipped, and Adam laughed as he kissed Samandriel's empty fingers, and strangely, that brought a weird sense of sadness with it.

* * *

And now he's here. In Castiel and Dean's home many, _many_ months later, nervously asking Castiel if he can marry Samandriel. Castiel chuckles.

"I don't mind at all," Castiel says, and he motions Adam to follow him to the kitchen. Adam watches as Castiel dons a pair of oven mitts, and pulls out a cookbook worthy pie. "Dean's going to be home in a few minutes, and he usually has the first slice, piping hot." Castiel gives Adam a cheeky smile. "But you are a guest. You get first pick."

Adam smiles as he digs into the pie. He moans appreciatively. "This is damn good," he says around a full mouth.

Castiel looks like he wants to say something, but something is holding him back.

"Cas? What's going on?" Adam bites into another forkful.

Castiel sits at the kitchen island next to him. "Can I see the ring?"

Adam smiles around his fork, then places it on his plate. He reaches into his pocket, and withdraws a small blue box. Castiel is beaming, and gently opens it. He gasps.

It's a gold band, set with a single blue gem. Castiel runs his finger over the rough surface of the gem. "It's gorgeous."

"You bet your ass it is." Castiel carefully places it back in the box, and closes it. He smiles again.

"This is- He'll love it." Castiel hands it back to Adam, and quickly jams it back into his pocket as the door opens. Adam is in the process of bringing the fork to his mouth to finish the last bite, when Dean walks into the room.

"You gave him the first slice?!" He exclaims.

Castiel reaches over and pinches Adam's cheek. "He's irresistible. What can I say?" Castiel walks over to Dean, and kisses him gently. "You get second slice. Same difference, right?" Castiel winks at Adam over his shoulder. Course it's not. Not to Dean.

"No!" Dean stands behind Castiel as he washes the dishes. Dean's hands are on Castiel's hips, whispering something in Castiel's ear. Adam doesn't even think about walking over there to give Castiel his dish. He shudders.

Adam slides off the stool. "Thanks again, Castiel." Castiel turns around, Dean stepping back to glare at the pie that's missing a piece. A piece that's now digesting in Adam's stomach.

"No problem. Remember, he'll love it."

Dean's head shoots up, finger in his mouth as he tastes the pie. "Who will love what?" He whips his head at Adam. "Did Cas give you something?" He looked back at Cas. "What did you give him?"

Adam has an idea of what Dean's referring to. "Oh, he gave me something alright." For extra measure, as he walks out of the kitchen, he calls back, "Can't wait to see his face when I put it on him!"

Adam laughs as Castiel loses it and Dean chokes.

Samandriel comes back shortly after Adam gets home. He's pacing back and forth in the living room. "Sammy!"

"Adam!" Samandriel says with equal enthusiasm. "How was your day?" Samandriel leans in to peck Adam on the lips and drops his bags by the front door.

As he turns around, Adam is on one knee. "Okay, so I love you. Like, a lot. And I can't think about a day where I don't want you to come home. I want you to be here, with me, always. Maybe get a dog or a cat. Who knows. Who cares. Samandriel, will you do me the unbelievable honor of becoming my husband?" Adam pulls out the box, and flips it open with shaky hands.

Samandriel is staring down at Adam. Not saying anything. And Adam's stomach is slowly turning to ice. Either way, his smile isn't going anywhere.

"Sammy?" He says quietly.

"Oh my god!" And Adam laughs. "Yes!" Samandriel presents his left hand, and Adam puts the ring on. He lifts Samandriel up and kisses him breathless.

"You... literally... gave... me... a... heart... attack..." Adam says in between kisses.

"Sorry," Samandriel mumbles against Adam's lips. "It's kind of funny though."

Adam gives him a questioning look. "What is?"

In response, Samandriel reaches into his own pocket, and pulls out a box not unlike the one Adam has. Adam chuckles.

"No way."

Samandriel opens the box. Inside, a gold band sits with a single green gem. "I asked Dean and Sam for their permission today."

"I asked Cas," Adam says, smiling as Samandriel slips it on his finger.

Samandriel links their left hands, smiling when there's a faint clink of metal against metal.

"Now, the real question is," Samandriel starts, "when Dean going to ask for my permission."

One day, Adam will talk with God again. He knows and accepts this. But he also knows Samandriel will be right next to him when he does, and hopefully He will have some explanations for the fallen angel.

For now, Adam laughs. Samandriel kisses it off.


End file.
